Have At It, Boys: NASCAR Announces Hands-Off Approach To Bump-Drafting

Drivers howled and fans moaned at Talladega last fall when NASCAR banned bump-drafting -- or at least said it would strictly enforce the already-existing rule -- just hours before the Sprint Cup race. The result was a single-file borefest that ended in two ugly wrecks in the final laps and caused a debate about the rules for restrictor-plate races that still burns.

NASCAR responded Thursday by announcing it will no longer regulate bump-drafting at Talladega and Daytona (the two restrictor-plate tracks on the schedule) and will give teams more power by using the smallest plate since 1989.